Spanish
CHICAGO.– Star third baseman Alex Bregman confirmed this Thursday his participation with the United States team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, an announcement he made the same day he was officially presented as a new player for the Chicago Cubs.
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Bregman will return to the highest stage of international baseball after having been part of the champion team in the 2017 tournament, when at just 23 years old he was the youngest player on that team that defeated Puerto Rico in the final played at Dodger Stadium. Since that edition, the third baseman has established himself as one of the most dominant figures in Major League Baseball, accumulating two World Series titles, three All-Star selections, as well as a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. In that period, he has a bWAR of 41.0, the ninth-highest figure among all MLB position players in the last nine seasons. Bregman will join a star-studded American team, which also announced the return of the legendary pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who, despite having retired after the 2025 Major League season, agreed to represent his country again in the Classic. The United States will debut in Group B of the tournament on March 6, when they face Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston, Bregman's former home during his nine campaigns with the Astros. The match is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (ET). The preliminary US roster includes figures like Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll, Byron Buxton, Kyle Schwarber, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Logan Webb, among others. The final list will be announced in early February. Bregman's confirmation reinforces the United States' aspirations to regain dominance in the World Baseball Classic, with a combination of experience, offensive power, and an elite pitching staff.
